Getting Ahead of the Talent Shortage

by Sunny Ackerman, Vice President/ General Manager, Mountain Central US, Manpower

The struggle to find the right talent with the skills needed for business success has been building over the last several years.  Unfortunately, this struggle shows no signs of ending.  So what do we do?  We certainly can’t accept unfilled positions and lost productivity as normal.

The people that you employ are what drive your business success and give you a competitive edge.  We need to prepare for the future by anticipating talent shortages, and being aware of skills gaps and other human resources issues. Human resources executives can lead their companies to success by aligning workforce strategies with their organization’s business strategies. This alignment will separate companies that survive from companies that win and grow.  

What is a workforce strategy? It’s a complete assessment of your company’s business plan, the long-term talent needs of the organization and an approach toward managing the supply and demand of talent.  A good workforce strategy does more than fill positions – it drives a business forward.  There are three steps to creating a workforce strategy:  

1. Determine the current and future talent needs of the business, making sure to consider changing business conditions and emerging technologies.
2. Assess the available supply of talent whether it is in the immediate area, or stretches outside the area you would typically recruit.
3. Develop solutions to fill the potential gaps between needs and the available talent.

You’ll begin to see that when you anticipate a talent shortage you can address it more easily.  As a result, you can move from relying on what talent comes your way to manufacturing the talent you need when you need it.  Examples of these solutions can include:

• Apply the Teachable Fit. Expand your talent pool by recruiting for certain skills that are hard to train.  Then train for the skills that are easy to learn. You can find people willing to change careers (they may even already be in your company) and new graduates with basic degrees. You’ll end up investing in valuable individuals and build loyal employees.
• Hyperspecialization. Remove tasks that workers end up performing as part of daily duties. Free up your workers to focus on what they’re best at it, resulting in improved final products. This can save you money in the long run.
• Explore Untapped Talent Markets. Youth is a largely untapped talent market. Consider supporting career guidance programs. Developing a pipeline of inexpensive and energetic young labor can be a great window of opportunity.  It can also have the added benefit of injecting fresh thinking into an organization. Some of the most innovative companies have workforces with high concentration of young talent.
• Expand Talent Markets. Take a second look at candidates that you once thought were unsuitable.  Consider using job success profiles to describe a role within the company instead of a conventional job description. Job descriptions explain responsibilities and requirements. A job success profile focuses on the core competencies to deliver the required outcomes. 

Employers that are not concerned about the impact of unfulfilled positions on their bottom line put themselves at a disadvantage.  It’s the people you employ that will set you apart.

According to the most recent Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, Austin area employers expect to hire at an active pace during the second quarter of 2013. From April to June, 23% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees.  This means your race to find good talent won’t be getting any easier.  How do you plan to prepare?  Join us on May 23rd to discuss the importance of strong talent pipelines. 

______________________________________________

Our many thanks to Sunny Ackerman for her contribution to AHRMA and "We Are Austin HR."

If you want to learn more about the importance of building a strong talent pipeline within our businesses and communities, please come hear Sunny Ackerman speak live on May 23 at 9:00am during AHRMA's Workforce Readiness Day.  

Click HERE to register.

Becoming an Human Resource Professional

By Carroll Menasco, MBA/HRM, PHR, Chair Certification Committee, Co-VP Career Development

Established in 1976, the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) is an internationally recognized certifying organization for the HR profession. Today, over 127,000 HR professionals worldwide proudly maintain the HRCI’s credentials as a mark of high professional distinction. Obtaining your certification is a career-long commitment that shows your peers, employers, and your organization that you have mastered the core HR principles and that you are dedicated to staying current in your profession.

HR Certification sets you apart by:

• Making your resume stand out from other job applicants;
• Earning recognition from your organization; and
• Connecting to an elite network of motivated HR professionals around the globe.

Compared with certificate programs, HR certification has three main advantages:

• Typically requires specific experience and education;
• Requires recertification, which makes sure that you stay current in the HR profession through continuing education; and
• Allows you to put the letters after your name – PHR or SPHR.

In other words, certification typically consists of the three “E”s: education, experience, and an exam.

However, in order to qualify to test so that you get to put those initials after your name, one must meet the following criteria:

PHR ELIGIBILITY

1. A minimum of one year of experience in an exempt-level HR position with a master’s degree or higher.
2. A minimum of two years of experience in an exempt-level HR position with a bachelor’s degree.
3. A minimum of four years of experience in an exempt-level HR position with a high school diploma.

SPHR ELIGIBILITY

1. A minimum of four years of experience in an exempt-level HR position with a master’s degree or higher.
2. A minimum of five years of experience in an exempt-level HR position with a bachelor’s degree.
3. A minimum of seven years of experience in an exempt-level HR position with a high school diploma.

Becoming HR certified is not easy.  I won’t lie, the exam is hard and requires dedication and commitment; however, the pride upon seeing that “PASSED” at the end of the exam make all the months and hours of study worth every minute! In order to assist those who desire to become PHR or SPHR certified, AHRMA offers a certification course each fall (August – November) and spring (January – April).  Each class is facilitated by a subject matter expert with years of experience who enhances the information presented in the SHRM Learning Module. AHRMA strives to bring only the best and most qualified instructors in order to augment the study and learning experience. By attending an AHRMA certification class, in addition to studying on your own, you are giving yourself opportunity to learn from experts and to enhance your study and retention skills through group study.

The next AHRMA Certification Study Class for open-enrollment is scheduled for June for the fall class.  Keep a watch on the AHRMA website for open enrollment!  We look forward to seeing you in the next class!